A reminder of the decrepitude of parental bigotry in an insubstantial, candy-coated narrative.
An acidic gay teen succumbs to a sappy love story, subsequently grappling with an unfurling lie for the greater good.
Seventeen-year-old Marley of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is without purpose. His grades are subpar, hereditary creativity has skipped a generation, and he has no particular talent beyond snark. Enter: Christopher, a beautiful, blond, sleek, and gay (finally!) additive to amend Marley’s homosexuality from theoretical to practicing. One tiny hitch…Christopher’s father is an infamously rich, right-wing, bigoted televangelist with a distinct anti-gay agenda. Though Marley is a contemporary teenager, his voice could easily be transferred to a campy narrative starring a middle-aged, martini-swilling, South Beach–er. The underlying tragedy and resulting lie that envelop Marley evolve as chapters alternate from documented past time stamps to “Now.” Though there is a tragic component to this largely white love story (as well as a firm reminder of the ways despicable, closed-minded parents and general bigotry can adversely affect LBGTQIA youth—i.e. conversion camps), the narrative is on the fluffy side. The presence of conflict is without question. But the ease with which Marley meets Christopher, falls in love, and surmounts said conflict—all in 225 pages—defies credulity. In fact, it’s Christopher on the periphery who faces more domestic adversity (albeit with blond hair, white skin, and millions of dollars) than Marley.
A reminder of the decrepitude of parental bigotry in an insubstantial, candy-coated narrative. (Fiction. 13-17)Pub Date: Oct. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-338-11840-7
Page Count: 240
Publisher: PUSH/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
Mouths have never run so dry at the idea of thirst.
When a calamitous drought overtakes southern California, a group of teens must struggle to keep their lives and their humanity in this father-son collaboration.
When the Tap-Out hits and the state’s entire water supply runs dry, 16-year-old Alyssa Morrow and her little brother, Garrett, ration their Gatorade and try to be optimistic. That is, until their parents disappear, leaving them completely alone. Their neighbor Kelton McCracken was born into a survivalist family, but what use is that when it’s his family he has to survive? Kelton is determined to help Alyssa and Garrett, but with desperation comes danger, and he must lead them and two volatile new acquaintances on a perilous trek to safety and water. Occasionally interrupted by “snapshots” of perspectives outside the main plot, the narrative’s intensity steadily rises as self-interest turns deadly and friends turn on each other. No one does doom like Neal Shusterman (Thunderhead, 2018, etc.)—the breathtakingly jagged brink of apocalypse is only overshadowed by the sense that his dystopias lie just below the surface of readers’ fragile reality, a few thoughtless actions away. He and his debut novelist son have crafted a world of dark thirst and fiery desperation, which, despite the tendrils of hope that thread through the conclusion, feels alarmingly near to our future. There is an absence of racial markers, leaving characters’ identities open.
Mouths have never run so dry at the idea of thirst. (Thriller. 13-17)Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4814-8196-0
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
The Phantom of the Opera served as inspiration, but this wouldn’t last on Broadway.
Stephanie and her family move into an old mansion rumored to have been put under a curse after a turn-of-the-20th-century rich boy meddled with an Egyptian mummy.
After her young sister complains about strange events, high school student Stephanie befriends Lucas, a geeky, good-looking boy, and meets the other members of SPOoKy, the Scientific Paranormal Organization of Kentucky: Charlotte, Wes, and Patrick. Stephanie learns the history of her new home from Lucas, who attracts her romantic attention, but the usually levelheaded girl is soon drawn to Erik, the handsome phantom who first comes to her in dreams. The story is told in chapters narrated by Stephanie, Lucas, and Zedok, whose identity is initially a source of confusion to Stephanie. Zedok appears wearing different masks, “personified slivers” of his soul, representing states of mind such as Wrath, Madness, and Valor. Meanwhile, until gifted singer Stephanie came along and he could write songs for her, Erik’s dreams were thwarted; he wanted to be a composer but his family expected him to become a doctor. In the gothic horror tradition, Erik’s full background and connection with Zedok are slowly revealed. Romantic dream sequences are lush and swoon-y, but the long, drawn-out battle to end the curse, aided by a celebrity clairvoyant, is tedious, and the constant introduction of Erik’s different personae is confusing. Most characters default to White; Patrick is Black.
The Phantom of the Opera served as inspiration, but this wouldn’t last on Broadway. (Horror. 13-16)Pub Date: Aug. 17, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-11604-3
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
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